A Heart Like Glass [Book 1]

Intro

If those cheerleading banshees keep screaming outside my building, then I'm going to shove their pretty little pompoms down their throats.

Well, that was my first thought when I heard the high-pitched shrieks that interrupted my precious nap. For whatever reason, the university's cheer squad loves to hold extra practices right by my window. They could go anywhere else on campus, but no. They have to shout and dance and giggle by my window. What's worse is that it had been weeks since I'd slept peacefully. So, when I was rudely woken up, I was pretty pissed off... until I realized I wasn't in my dorm room anymore.

Guess I can't blame the frilly group for this one.

And wherever I was, it was pitch black – save for a few hazy lights. Because of that ominous darkness, most of my surroundings were a blur. If there were trees or homes or grass, I wouldn't know. A few things in my vision were clear. But my hearing was intact.

I covered my ears. Okay, where the heck am I?

Groggy, I looked around for another moment before a sinking feeling hit me. The air around me was so, so still as if there weren't any at all. Even with the wails echoing in the space, I knew in my gut that this place was lifeless. The strong smell of dried blood and decay that plagued my nose proved that much... that I'm the only one left in this grave of rot and ruin.

There was only one thing I could make out in the haze: a small pool of water where the ruins of an old stone wall sat beside it. Thanks to my crappy sense of sight, I couldn't tell whether or not the wall was part of a building or something grander, but the crumbling structure had a large, ornate faucet carved into the middle of it that towered over the pond. It seemed to be made from sterling silver, shining vividly in the dim light.

I winced at a searing pain that shot through my side. I'd been aimlessly wandering for a while now. It felt like I had been here for hours, or days even, unable to find an exit or way of escape. Now my steps were beginning to feel heavy, and I could tell I was growing weaker with every passing moment.

Maybe I just need to rest for a while.

So, I walked over to the edge of the pond, which took more effort than I thought it would. Feeling stiff, I had to use my hands to brace myself into a kneeling position before they quickly moved back to my ears. The shrieks were growing louder, making my heart beat faster. Something bad was happening here. Something I didn't want to think about.

So, I turned my attention to the tap on the wall.

I focused on the drips. And, after studying them for a while, I figured out that each drop of water fell in thirty-second intervals, causing the pool below it to ripple into blue waves amid the darkness. A perfect rhythm of motion that didn't look natural in the slightest, making me feel uneasy.

I looked down at the water below, turning my attention to my reflection, which made me gasp and remove my hands from my ears for a small moment. While the rippling fluid marred it, the image that I could make out before me was... mesmerizing. Confused, I moved a finger towards the surface of the water but retracted it when the sound penetrated my brain again. I winced and gripped my head tighter, forcing my focus back to the pool.

I'm not sure if minutes or hours went by as I studied my distorted reflection, but I went rigid when I noticed the water no longer rippled. And as it stilled, my face, or at least what I thought was my face, began to clear... and the image was otherworldly.

Wow. Is this real? I don't remember being this gorgeous. 

My face went to my hands in awe. My eyes now shone with bright silver as if the sheen of the moon had dripped into them. Swirls of blue and silver stars had been painted or tattooed around the curvature of my brows. The stark white hair from my head twisted around a silver diadem that was laden with crystals of some kind. My pale lips, lack of color yet lush and full, were pulled into a tight line. I was beautiful, but...

It was as if I'd become a cold, cruel queen without an ounce of empathy.

Then a loud crackling noise began, which was followed by more ear-piercing screams and yells and swinging swords and electric hums and... and breaking bones. Not even my hands could stop the blood-curdling cries from filling my mind.

Where is this coming from? There's no one else here!

Determined to ignore it, my head jilted towards the source of the crackling, and I found that the drips were now frozen as they fell onto the glass pond. Each one sent another shattering sound through the air, piercing through me like a knife.

My gaze went back to my reflection, now split into various pieces.

Not taking my eyes off of my disfigured face, I watched in horror as large hands quickly grabbed my head. My pupils went wide before my face was twisted at a terrific angle.

Finally, it was the snap of my neck that forced me awake as I screamed.

But I found no comfort in the familiar room that I found myself back in again. Throwing the blankets off of me, my body became ravaged with tremors. Shaking, I half-stumbled to my small trashcan and heaved into it for a while until I was able to crawl back into my bed.

"Just a dream," I repeated over and over again with my arms wrapping around my body. Sweat beaded on my forehead as I shook.

"Just a dream."